Basic Values

Hold them tight.

It feels like we are moving away from our basic values.

I’m not talking about 1950s MadMen values. It’s way older than that.

Here are a few:

• All life is sacred

• Take care of the least, last, and lost

• Be kind

• Tell the truth

• Have compassion

Photo by Shoeib Abolhassani on Unsplash

The psychologist Alfred Adler used to talk about mental health being “An interest in the interests of others.” Today, lots of people are just focusing on themselves.

When you take an interest in others’ interests, it leads to greater cooperation, empathy, and fairness. (I know, empathy is being denigrated by some hard-right preachers right now, but I continue to believe that it is one of the keys to living together in a civilized society.) When one values another’s concerns, it is more likely that moral principles will be followed, rather than acting solely out of self-interest. The long-term outcome benefits everyone, because a balance is developed between personal and societal benefits, which reduces conflict.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?"

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

While there are significant divides in our nation today about how these ideals are achieved, almost everyone would agree that economic opportunity, equality and justice are important goals. An interest in the interests of others helps us to move toward those principles. Conflict, on the other hand, creates costs that move us away from economic opportunity, and attempts to create a system that is weighted more toward one side or the other.

DEI

We may see this clearly in the current DEI debate. At its root, the argument is between those who believe that we should be promoting a colorblind society, with no preferences given to anyone who is disadvantaged, and those who recognize that racism and sexism are still very much alive and need to be confronted. It is a matter of leveling the playing field. It is easy to take individual cases and point to what looks like reverse discrimination. To create a society that is a true meritocracy, which is what the right is advocating, requires that the obstacles to achievement must be removed. We need to care about the interests of those who are most frequently harmed. Rolling back DEI programs has already affected first-generation students, women, veterans, and the disabled, to say nothing of the non-white ethnicities who the rollback targets.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson released the following statement condemning President Trump's Executive Order Rolling Back DEI in the Federal Government:

"It is outrageous that the President is rolling back critical Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. DEI programs help ensure that everyone can prosper. It's clear that President Trump does not value equal opportunity.

His appalling executive order will only worsen America's racial hierarchy and benefit the oligarch class. This executive order threatens public services that benefit all Americans; it's an attempt to consolidate power and money to a few wealthy individuals. And poor and working-class people will pay the price.

This is all part of a calculated strategy to redefine the role of government, privatize essential public services, and further discrimination. Elections have consequences and it's clear that this election has put a target on Black America's back."

Move to Caring

So how do we move away from self-interest and toward caring about what others care about?

There are many ways to develop an interest in others. Mindfulness, which has psychological benefits too numerous to list here, can increase awareness, which improves the ability to understand how others are feeling. Active listening can also increase understanding.

One of the reasons that understanding other people and their circumstances can be difficult is that we often associate with people who are like us. If you don’t believe this, think about your five closest friends. Then ask yourself, how are we alike or different in terms of race, sexual identity, economic status, location, and religious preferences? Most of us choose friends who are similar to us. To get better at understanding other groups, we need to associate with them. Go to a part of town where different ethnic groups congregate. Eat at a restaurant with food from a different country. Worship in a different faith community. Find a new hobby where the people seem different from you.

Travel to different countries can broaden perspective and develop understanding that is not dependent on someone else’s experience. Being with people who are unlike you can open your eyes to those who are around the world as well as those who are just around the corner.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

There are even easier ways to develop a broader perspective: read a book about another culture. Listen to a podcast from another country. Stories about others have the power to put you inside another’s mind.

There is also more that we can do. Over a dozen corporations announced that they would be rolling back their DEI programs in the past year, including Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corp., Harley-Davidson, Lowe's, Tractor Supply, John Deere, Walmart, Target, McDonald's, Amazon, Meta, Molson Coors, and Jack Daniel's. One way to tell them that this is a mistake is to vote with your dollars. There are plenty of companies who have not succumbed to government pressure: Ulta, Macy’s, Old Navy, Nordstrom’s, TJ Maxx, Costco, Meijer, and Kroger's have all continued their DEI programs.

One of the Bad Guys?

Maybe the biggest change that I’ve seen in our values as a nation is in international relations.

Countries too can choose to have concern for others or be selfish. The current American government has moved toward self-interest. “I would never have thought that I would have to say something like this,” Germany’s next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said on February 23, but “it is clear that [Trump’s] government does not care much about the fate of Europe.” (Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson, February 23, 2025) For over 80 years, Western countries have tried to work together for the common good. Now that is no longer the case.

On Feb 25, at the United Nations, the United States delegation voted against a resolution condemning Russia for its aggression in Ukraine and calling for it to end its occupation. This floors me. We voted with Russia, North Korea, Belarus, and other countries friendly to Russia. In my eyes, we have become one of the bad guys. My father fought in World War II against countries who attacked and invaded others, and now we are saying that behavior is ok. President Trump is threatening to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal, Gaza, and Canada. We need to be concerned about the possibility of war if we move forward on these threats.

Basic values are important, maybe more important than some believe. Without them, we move into a dog-eat-dog, zero-sum kind of world. With them, we have shown that we can achieve cooperation and prosperity. What kind of world do you want to live in?